The Mossawa Center, Haifa 26/2/2014, On Monday, 24/2/2014, the Knesset passed a bill into law which attempts to create a division between Christian and Muslim citizens in Israel by defining Palestinian Christians in Israel as "non-Arabs."  Yariv Levin, Likud Beytenu coalition chairman declared that Christians will receive separate representation on the public advisory board of the Equal Employment Opportunity commission and justified the bill as a historic step that would connect Jews and Christians. The bill passed in the Knesset with a vote of 31 in favor and 6 against, despite the objections of the Equal Employment Opportunity commissioner Tziona Koenig-Yair who said the bill was superfluous and equivalent to having separate representation for Ashkenazi and Mizrachi Jews.
For the first time, the Palestinian Christian community, which has survived displacement in 1948 by Israel and remained in the 1948 territories, is being differentiated from the rest of the Palestinian community.  The bill is a racist policy that emphasizes the religious divisions that Israeli government policy attempts to create in the Arab community.  The Mossawa Center is against this bill and will take every step possible, in cooperation with other Arab CSOs to stop the imaginary divisions of the bill.  Several Arab Organizations will be releasing a joint press release by the end of the week against the bill.
According to the Mossawa Center, "This act to try to divide the Arab community will not change the fact that all Arab citizens, even the ones who serve in the Israeli army, are systematically discriminated against in Land, housing, funding, citizenship and freedom of religion. All Arab religion groups are discriminated against in funding by the ministry of religion and most religious services to Arab citizens are not funded by the government. Large quantities of Muslim and Christian property have been confiscated. Arab citizens expect equal status not symbolic division that humiliates all parts of the community."